Hoping for immense improvement from Weeden is an unfavorable roll of the dice. I wouldn't complain riding with him for one more year but I really doubt whatever coach we hire is going to think "hey! Now this is a guy I could transform and work with!"

Hoping for immense improvement from Weeden is an unfavorable roll of the dice. I wouldn't complain riding with him for one more year but I really doubt whatever coach we hire is going to think "hey! Now this is a guy I could transform and work with!"

IMO, only if Weedon shows no improvement in his second season would we even consider drafting another 1st round QB. It just isn't going to happen if Weedon improves.

As for allowing our HC to choose our GM, it makes me sick. Unless we hire Reid or Lovie Smith, there is no way a young HC should be allowed any say in the GM position. This would be a receipe for disaster.
If we are looking for a young HC, then hire the GM first and allow him to pick the HC, that is how successful teams are built.

If Weeden doesnít make significant strides, heís toast. This is a new organization. An organization that isnít anchored to Weeden. If heís still struggling next season, thereís not much reason to keep him. Quarterback or not, heís overage. You donít acquire short-term assets with the intention of waiting for them to mature. Youíre hoping to acquire the finished product. If Weeden still needs serious development, thereís no sense in sinking more time into his career.

Our general manager search is unique. I donít see it as the HC choosing the GM. I see it as the team president handpicking both. Again, the next Browns general manager wonít have sweeping power. He will get the title, but he wonít get the responsibilities. I think he will be closer to a director of personnel than a traditional general manager. At that point, I just care about his in-house communication and talent evaluation abilities. He needs to understand the vision being communicated to him, communicate that vision to his scouting staff, maintain open communication with his coach, and bring identified fits into the fold. It seems Banner is going to assume the role of cap caretaker and lead negotiator in contractual matters, so we donít need the savviest boardroom presence. Just a football man.

If Chip comes to Cleveland as reported, he needs to be surrounded with NFL insiders. His knowledge of the leagueís personnel and tendencies is going to be lacking. In that regard, I hope heís not married to all of his assistants from Oregon. Dealing with concurrent learning curves isnít ideal. Some NFL lifers to serve as stabilizers would be sweet. An experienced defensive coordinator and offensive assistant/assistant head coach would be perfect.

1.) Iím a huge fan of the Chudzinski hire. I think heís one of the best offensive minds in the game in his age bracket. Sure, there are little things that I question, but I donít have all of the information. A lot of Carolina fans have opined that Chud had an obsessive reliance on their zone-read concepts. I didnít watch enough of the Panthers to draw a concrete conclusion. Is Cam just struggling with the transition to traditional passing concepts? Is the offensive line just ill-suited to the power running game that fans called for? All of these variables factor into game-calling.

I think the regression angle is being exaggerated. Clevelandís offensive drop was sharp. A lot of things came together and contributed to their precipitous decline though. Things outside of Chudís control. Carolina dipped some this season, but I wouldnít characterize it as a severe regression either. It dropped from 389.8 YPG and 25.4 PPG to 360.1 YPG and 22.3 PPG. Again, donít like to see it, but itís not falling off a cliff. Plus, down the stretch of their season, the Panthers averaged 386.3 YPG and 28.3 PPG. Numbers considered normal in the context of their first campaign.

Regardless, that drop-off isnít pronounced enough to make me pause on Chud. Heís a bright, flexible offensive mind that articulated a meticulous plan to Haslam and Banner over two sit-downs. Sign me up.

2.) I love that heís bringing Norv Turner with him, too. It takes some self-awareness to do that. Right or wrong, a lot of fresh faces want to leave their indelible imprint on a new team. Often, that means retaining game-calling duties on their preferred side of the ball. But the non-football and overall responsibilities of a first-time head coach can be quite overwhelming. Norv is an elite offensive coordinator. Chud can focus on the bigger picture and have confidence in his coordinator to get the job done. His distinctive formation variation and intuitive game-calling puts personnel in perfect positions to succeed. Plus, his curse as a head coach is a blessing to the Browns. Heís not a head coaching candidate. That should mean a spell with a consistent coordinator and scheme.

3.) Speaking of offensive design, Chud and Norv are utilitarians, but their interest in tight ends seems to be a shared staple. In a game of variation, tight ends provide a ton of it. In general, it gives the offense the chance to create their numbers and isolate their mismatch. For that reason, I would love to see dedication toward two-tight end packages in Cleveland. Itís so diverse. You can overload strength. You can flex them out wide. You can get creative with motion. You can throw against bigger bases and fronts. You can run over smaller sub-packages. You can still meet strength with strength when needed. Tight ends are versatile weapons.

Right now, this group of tight ends is in a state of flux. Under Chud and Norv, Jordan Cameron intrigues me. His potential is obvious. He needs to realize it. I suspect heís going to be given a good shot in this offense. He can be more than just a red-zone gadget. Just needs to accept his coaching. Eifert out of Notre Dame interests me, too. From what Iíve seen, that kid has some special ball skills. When coupled with a 6-6 frame, heís got serious vertical potential. Chud said he wants to install a vertical offense. Eifert can attack seams downfield and win jump-ball battles. Now, Iím not interested in drafting him with the sixth overall pick. But if none of the available defensive talent interests us and we can find a trading partner in the mid-first range? Now Iím interested.

4.) As far as drafting on the offensive side of the ball goes, I donít think the option of selecting a quarterback is tabled either. The new brain trust is staking their long-term survival on offensive acumen. Brandon Weeden is an overage leftover with middling success in his first season. If a quarterback stands out during the pre-draft process, and the coaching staff loves his prospectus, it wouldnít surprise me in the slightest to see back-to-back quarterback picks. I havenít watched too much of Glennon, but heís a strong conceptual fit. And, from what I have seen, the recipient of a disproportionate amount of hate in relation to his deficiencies.

5.) The interior offensive line needs to be addressed. Weíve got some adequate shield blockers. We need devastating drive blockers. Our pair of tackles and pivot provides some pass protection coverage to guards. If we want to maximize Richardson, the two guardsí main attribute should be their initial punch and push. Iím not familiar with the depth of this guard class, but I know the Browns have almost $50 million in cap space and have to burn most of it to reach the floor. Andre Smith is a free agent. If I had confidence in the offensive line coach, I would test Cincinnatiís financial commitment with the intention of kicking him inside to guard. The Bengals have a lot of extensions that need to get done among their core and Smith could get lost in the shuffle. It doesnít hurt to explore the market or push their price higher if a deal canít be finalized.

And that wouldnít prevent me from taking another guard in the draft either.

6.) I think earmarking most of the cap for defensive purposes is smart. This defense is as close to complete as weíve seen in Cleveland. The tinkering will never stop, but this unit has building blocks at each level and some promising depth behind it. A couple free agent signings could elevate their ceiling and relieve some pressure on an acclimating offense. First and foremost, I think the Giants can be squeezed in their negotiations with Phillips. A centerfielder of his caliber would work wonders for the backend. Plus, New York is cap-starved. And then adding a stopgap at the cornerback spot opposite Haden. Figure out if the nickel or dime backs corners can be groomed into eventual successors.

After that, lock up homegrown products like Haden and Mack. Perhaps shop for some ďbargainĒ pass rushers. Reclamation projects, vets making their last stand, scheme miscasts, etc. Then flexible, short-term deals for bodies and depth until the cap hits the floor.

7.) I think the frontrunner for the sixth overall pick is a pass rusher. At this point, I hope the incoming defensive coordinator brings a scheme with an emphasis on mixed elements with them. Mixed between even front and odd front. Between one-gap and two-gap. The Browns have some pliant parts. Might as well bend and use them to their advantage.

In that vein, the cluster of Damontre Moore, Barkevious Mingo, and Jarvis Jones is what the scouting staff needs to separate. Iíve just seen Moore, Mingo, and Jones live. That kind of pass rusher is critical to a mixed schemeís success. Unless a quarterback just connects with the coaching staff or none of the aforementioned are available, I canít see another Cleveland choice. The value of a pass rusher is too high.

So, a tentative draft like the following would be fine with me. I donít know particular prospects well enough right now, but Iíll start watching some videos this week in all likelihood.

I wasn't ecstatic about the Churl hire initially, yet I wasn't upset. Well, I guess I did have a kneejerk reaction and spouted "goddamnit" like a child. I will say the hiring of Norv makes me feel a lot better about it. I have read that many around the league feel Chud is one of the best "in-game" coaches in the game and if true I think that's magnificent because some of our blunders throughout the years have been poor adjustments offensively or no adjustments at all. I'm warming up to this quite about as the hours pass. Chud seems to exhibit leadership capabilities as well as being big on accountability. What else can we ask for out of a candidate at this point? Innovative? Check. Good with in-game adjustments? Check. Leadership, attention to detail and accountability? Potentially check.

One thing that I may disagree with Cudi is that I don't see our defense as complete as you do. While I agree a pass rushed is of extreme need, we are still missing potentially two inside backers, a #2 cover corner (skrine gets destroyed by bigger receivers, he is a nickel at best), a coverage free safety and perhaps a down end in the odd front. Moreover, it seems we may assuming Sheard has the lateral quick and mobility to operate in space; however, we may not need him to if we consistently have him rush out of a two-point stance like we were doing in the latter portion of the season. D'Q never really flourished in the 3-4 yet we didn't have the linesmen that we do now. I will say at the very least he deserves his shot.

I agree that both guard positions need to be addressed. I haven't seen an actual push in the interior run blocking - I think Richard could have an excellent season behind upgrades at the interior.

GM candidates: so, candidates are comprised of tom gamble, a seahawks FO member (forget the name but from my understanding he is more of a cap person), someone from Minnesota and ray farmer from Kansas city. Tom Gamble or Farmer would be fantastic acquisitions under our FO circumstances with the egomaniac Banner at the healm. Something should happen pretty soon though.

One thing that I may disagree with Cudi is that I don't see our defense as complete as you do. While I agree a pass rushed is of extreme need, we are still missing potentially two inside backers, a #2 cover corner (skrine gets destroyed by bigger receivers, he is a nickel at best), a coverage free safety and perhaps a down end in the odd front. Moreover, it seems we may assuming Sheard has the lateral quick and mobility to operate in space; however, we may not need him to if we consistently have him rush out of a two-point stance like we were doing in the latter portion of the season. D'Q never really flourished in the 3-4 yet we didn't have the linesmen that we do now. I will say at the very least he deserves his shot.

Nope, I donít disagree with the above. I donít think weíve got a complete or elite defense either. This is just the most optimistic Iíve ever felt about that side of the ball. Itís somewhat of a projection based on realistic off-season moves, but I believe itís as close as weíve come to completeness. Weíve got nice building blocks in-place at each level. Plus, between a cap windfall and a premium draft pick, weíre positioned to address those peskier problem areas, too.

I wouldnít be willing to invest too much in a free agent pass rusher. The acquisition cost of a top-tier one is absurd and I donít love the candidates enough. With the wealth of options at the top of the draft, I think thatís the wisest route. If the scouting staff does their due diligence, weíve got a long-term option at a cornerstone position at a discounted price for the duration of their rookie contract.

But I would love to splash some cash into the defense. I hope Phillips is a high-value target. The Giants are vulnerable to poaching and Phillips is one of the quietest impact safeties in the NFL. Heís even being overshadowed within this free agent class. Centerfielders with his range are difference-makers on the backend. Heís just a reliable eraser. His skill set complements Ward as well. Itís contingent on medical clearing his checkered past, but the potential fit is tantalizing.

Also, I do think we should be in the market for a stopgap corner. Thereís a glut of available options. From cheaper corners with some upside to veterans with some production left to be squeezed out of them. As an aside, Norv should have an accurate pulse of where Jammer is in his career and if he can still serve as a suitable stopgap or not.

Past that, I donít see another glaring hole. Now, part of that is subject to scheme change. If we slant more toward an odd front, and Tucker or another defensive coordinator wants more coverage range from his outside linebackers, a free agent specialist like Lawson is an option. But I donít even have a huge problem with Sheard in a 3-4. He can be rock-solid opposite a more impactful edge presence. You wonít confuse him with the most fluid linebackers, but he provides some pass rushing push and strength as a setter in the ground game. He just needs to develop a strong jam. Thatís his calling card in terms of coverage. Weíre never going to want him one-on-one with backs or tight ends. If he can prevent free releases, he will still give the back seven some additional cover.

Iím hoping the defense is mixed though. If we want to be identified as an attacking team as Chud indicated, Iíd love to see a 3-4 / 4-3 / 5-2 composite. Fronts that leave our rush linebackers in attacking two- or three-point stances and donít expose them to arduous coverage responsibilities. I think it suits our defensive line, too. Weíve got a handful of big bodies. We can be flexible depending on down, distance, offensive strength, and game situation. Move defensive linemen around, shade rushers inside, combine one-gap and two-gap concepts, etc. Weíll see. Interested to see the eventual hire.

Outside of Xís and Oís, I want the coaching staff to stress four metrics as benchmarks. One, turnover differential. We finished the season at +3. We were tied for 12th in the NFL. Nine out of twelve teams in the postseason were better than us. Two, offensive red zone touchdown percentage. We finished the season at 43.6%. We were 29th in the NFL. Twelve out of twelve teams in the postseason were better than us. Three, defensive red zone touchdown percentage. We finished the season at 56.6%. We were 24th in the NFL. Eight out of twelve teams in the postseason were better than us. Four, penalties. We finished the season at 1,005 yards lost. We were 2nd in the NFL. Eleven out of twelve teams in the postseason were better than us. Those are the problem situations. Now we need to coach to them.

I'm wondering what Chud will do with this offense. He's been a wizard at reclaiming league worst offenses with Cleveland and Carolina and now he's got the leagues youngest that admiringly ranked #25 last year.

I think there's a lot to work with here but it's hard to say the talent matches what he had with the Panthers. He had Carolina's offense ranked #12 featuring a couple of true gamechangers at QB and WR.

The best thing to consider is that Norv (if he's actually hired) and Chud should be able to maximize Weeden and Richardson's talent. But there's no way to tell what BW's ceiling actually is. I think the best thing they could do for this offense is sign a pro bowler caliber FA TE. The two that come to mind are Fred Davis and Martellus Bennett. But in the right system and with a change of scenery, I think Delanie Walker and Jermichael Finley might also be better.

I don't think you could entirely rule out a WR either. Russ Lande has Keenan Allen as his #5 overall prospect and Patterson is a rare athletic freak. I like Gordon but it's too early to say if he'll approach very good to elite WR status-which I think is needed for an offense like this. And Little is closer to an average WR. A great FA signing would be to acquire Danario Alexander. Given his injury history and having to learn a new offense the Chargers might not match an offer. This guy was playing like a legit #1 in Norv's offense with Rivers from the jump. A guy I've always liked but just can't stay healthy. He's worth the risk.

Defensively, good drafting has put in a nice position upfront. I kinda agree that the defense is only a few steps away from being able to compete with anyone, regardless of scheme. The potential high profile pass rush prospects are matching up perfectly with what we need too. I liked Sheard coming out and thought his best fit was as a 34 OLB. And I won't be surprised if L.J. Fort wins the starting ILB spot next to Jackson but Gocong played well there when healthy and as far as I know he'll be back. Robertson's probably not thrilled though.

In Fa there are a number of guys that, given our cap, we could go after that fit. #1 to me would be Steelers CB Keenan Lewis - pro bowl potential and hurts our div opponent. #2 might be Brent Grimes- adds another small CB but he can play. Anthony Spencer is another big money FA that's worth what we might pay him. His back up Vic Butler is also worth a look. At S, if we're actually spending money I think I'd prefer William Moore over Phillips.

In our DC search, I'd have no problem with Mel Tucker. That Jaguar defense has been more competitive then it should be the last couple seasons. He's versed in both schemes and even if the 34 is our base, I think he would use varied formations.

__________________..yes, this sig is a little embarrassing right now...but it's like my penance

Gee, wasn't it just a few years ago that you all hated Chud as our OC, now you cannot bring youselves to repeat it. Oh well, at least I love that Norv Turner will be our OC, great OC, rotten HC. Should really help Weedon a lot in his development.
Talking about FA's at this point is useless till we actually know who will be FA's. Most will simply resign or be franchised, then we can talk about real possibilities.

IAC stop pretending to be astute-as if you know what we all thought of Chud years ago. Most posters commenting now weren't even here then. You know what's more useless then commenting about potential March FAs in January on a football forum? ....telling people it's useless to comment about possible free agents in January.

__________________..yes, this sig is a little embarrassing right now...but it's like my penance

IAC stop pretending to be astute-as if you know what we all thought of Chud years ago. Most posters commenting now weren't even here then. You know what's more useless then commenting about potential March FAs in January on a football forum? ....telling people it's useless to comment about possible free agents in January.

Just like you should know, it is useless to project FA's at this stage, we don't even know who we will resign never mind what other teams will do.
So tell me, were you a Chud hater or not, start being direct instead of talking around the subject.
Ah, forget it, more fun talking about the Brown's than arguing with you over nothing.

Michael Lombardi is a worthless **** whos only quality is memorizing players combine numbers and stats. His dumbass couldn't tell a good player from and average player if he had a crystal ball. His past screw ups in this league have been historically bad. This idiot took a FB in the Top 10, a Center who was good but not great 11th overall and wouldn't let Belichek draft Warren Sapp. He also had a major hand in the Jamarcus Russell fiasco.

Haslam and Banner just ruinned the careers of a lot of good young Browns and Rob Chudzinski before it even got started.

That is not even the worst of it. He has drafted a FB in the top 10 a center that was only lastest 6 years in the NFL at 11th ovearll. He drafted a corner in round 1 that was cut the very next season and had a huge hand in Robert Gallery and Jamarus Russell picks. He was in a front office role from 1987-2007 and drafted exactly 1 pro bowl player. Hell his picks were not even average players they were mostly down right bad players. Most GMs get lucky and find a pro bowler with 6th or 7th roud picks. It takes luck just for him to find one in the 1st. Oh, and he said Weeden and Josh Gordon were wasted picks when they happend. Weeden played great for a rookie if he weren't in the same class as Luck, RG3 and Wilson. Josh Gordon played lights out for a kid out of football 2 years and would have been a Top 15 in this draft....we got him for a 2nd. This was a BS buddy buddy hire because he is ex buds with Banner. Also just another tool for Banner to bully around and control.

Not a Lombardi lover at all but I'm sure he has his good points as well. Let's remember that Al Davis ran the draft in Oakland not Lombardi and BB ran the draft here. That said, I don't know what quality they hired him for because he never did much prospect analysis on the NFL Network, maybe he's a solid organizer of front offices, we can only hope.

Not a Lombardi lover at all but I'm sure he has his good points as well. Let's remember that Al Davis ran the draft in Oakland not Lombardi and BB ran the draft here. That said, I don't know what quality they hired him for because he never did much prospect analysis on the NFL Network, maybe he's a solid organizer of front offices, we can only hope.

Thats false. Lombardi had final say on the roster here and pulled ranked and didn't allow Belichek to take Warren Sapp. Instead they traded down and drafted a linebacker that was cut the following season. Lombardi does have good points such as memorization. He is great for info gathering and memorizing that info. He should be used as a tool only. Someone else had better be in charge of how to sort that information against film study to determine what talent to bring in.

And I said he had a huge hand in his days at Oakland. The guy had a mega raging boner for Robert Gallary. He also had a huge draft day boner for Ryan Mallett who obviously wasn't as good as he tought or he wouldn't have slid to the 3rd.

Lombardi is a worthless sack and Browns fans need to quit trying to sugar coat it.

Weeden played great for a rookie if he weren't in the same class as Luck, RG3 and Wilson.

ÖWhat?

Quote:

Originally Posted by CrossOfDeath

This was a BS buddy buddy hire because he is ex buds with Banner. Also just another tool for Banner to bully around and control.

We were never going to attract the best front office talent to Cleveland. It just wasnít going to happen. General managers want to be more than just directors of personnel. Itís the reason that Tom Heckert was fired. He refused to relinquish roster control. That was a statement from Banner to the rest of the NFL. He was cementing his position and consolidating control. The prospects of hiring an exciting candidate have been bleak since then. I donít like it, but it is what it is. Haslam is friends with Banner. Haslam finances the operation. Haslam hires whoever he wants. Unless Banner falls on his face, or their partnership strains, weíre just going to have to survive an overbearing CEO.

As for Lombardi, heís got an underwhelming track record. At this point, Iím hoping that Haslam and Banner evaluated Lombardi with a specialized criteria in mind. Right now, I value communication skills most in our new vice president of personnel. If Lombardi can conceptualize the vision thatís being communicated to him, communicate that vision to his support staff, maintain communication with Chud, surround himself with qualified talent evaluators, and keep an open mind in meetings, then the process can still work. It seems heís more of a medium to the visionaries. Not one of the visionaries himself.

On a bright side, the foundation of the coaching staff is impressive. Chud might be an unknown, but heís shown that heís capable of assembling a team of successful coaches around him. Thatís critical for a rookie head coach. Norv is an elite offensive coordinator. Horton is an exciting defensive coordinator thatís familiar with the AFC North. I love the direction on both sides of the ball.

Depending on the price, I wouldnít hate a rumored Mallett trade either. From what Chud said at his presser, we want to be an aggressive and vertical team. Those philosophies are perfect fits with Mallettís arm talent and skill set. And heís had some time to get acclimated to the rigors of the NFL, too. Lombardi is still a close friend of Belichickís. Iím thinking heís got some inside information on his development. Now, if the centerpiece of the deal is the sixth overall pick, Iím going to be quite disappointed that we move ourselves out of contention for one of these pass rushers, but Iím hesitant to believe his value has risen that much since 2011.

Depending on the price, I wouldn’t hate a rumored Mallett trade either. From what Chud said at his presser, we want to be an aggressive and vertical team. Those philosophies are perfect fits with Mallett’s arm talent and skill set. And he’s had some time to get acclimated to the rigors of the NFL, too. Lombardi is still a close friend of Belichick’s. I’m thinking he’s got some inside information on his development. Now, if the centerpiece of the deal is the sixth overall pick, I’m going to be quite disappointed that we move ourselves out of contention for one of these pass rushers, but I’m hesitant to believe his value has risen that much since 2011.

Fwiw (i.e. not much) I've read on a different Patriot's board that Belichick is shopping Mallett for a 2nd round pick.

And I said he had a huge hand in his days at Oakland. The guy had a mega raging boner for Robert Gallary. He also had a huge draft day boner for Ryan Mallett who obviously wasn't as good as he tought or he wouldn't have slid to the 3rd.

Lombardi is a worthless sack and Browns fans need to quit trying to sugar coat it.

I completely disagree about Lombardi's power in Oakland. Al Davis ran their draft and did whatever he pleased. Lombardi was just another yes guy in their organization.

I think he's already toast. Lombardi mentioned after the Browns-Redskins game that Weeden earned his league worst QBR and the next week's game vs the Broncos would be a huge test for him and the team. Well, we know how that turned out. My guess is he's already looking past him. I think the only thing that prevents a trade for Mallett would be the market for him, since there will be a few other teams interested in him if BB is seriously interested in trading.

Quote:

Originally Posted by CrossOfDeath

Thats false. Lombardi had final say on the roster here and pulled ranked and didn't allow Belichek to take Warren Sapp. Instead they traded down and drafted a linebacker that was cut the following season.

Don't leave out the epilogue..."Lombardi later worked with the Raiders when Sapp was in Oakland and Sapp said Lombardi is still tormented by being fed wrong intel, thus passing on drafting Sapp in Cleveland."

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cudders

As for Lombardi, he’s got an underwhelming track record. At this point, I’m hoping that Haslam and Banner evaluated Lombardi with a specialized criteria in mind. Right now, I value communication skills most in our new vice president of personnel. If Lombardi can conceptualize the vision that’s being communicated to him, communicate that vision to his support staff, maintain communication with Chud, surround himself with qualified talent evaluators, and keep an open mind in meetings, then the process can still work. It seems he’s more of a medium to the visionaries. Not one of the visionaries himself.

Agreed and perhaps. Banner cited the 98 draft as one of the better Eagles drafts during his time there. His work with Oakland has to be taken with an asterisk because of the size/speed demands of Davis. Key is, Lombardi claims to have grown from the past. Evidence of that might be why he was so high on Mallett, while the general scouting community had him slipping with the character concerns.

__________________..yes, this sig is a little embarrassing right now...but it's like my penance

All this Oakland experience for Banner and Lombardi scares the pants off of me. Al Davis ran his team's drafts and accepted little impute from his management team. Davis surrounded himself with 'yes' men who followed his orders without question. Al Davis brooked no questioning of his ideas either from front office personnel or from his coaching staff.

Then there is Philadelphia where Reid had final say on every pick not the GM or player personnel people. He might have accepted imput but he made the selections.

That being said, we have to give our new owner a chance to prove himself worthy and accept decisions until they are proven right or wrong. We'll just have to wait to see the results.

Well, Chud reiterated to the media in Cleveland that itís going to be a mixed defense. Meanwhile, Horton told the media in Arizona that itís going to be a 3-4 that mirrors Pittsburghís. He also said during the radio interview that he wouldíve been able to add Norv Turner to his staff if he was promoted in Arizona. Did Chud hire Horton? Or did Banner and Haslam pull rank and hand Horton to Chud? And is Horton bitter that Chud got the Browns job over him? Itís clear there are some things that still need to be worked out. A star-studded coaching staff is useless if itís divided. The head coach sets the scheme. The coordinators work within that scheme. The position coaches teach to the responsibilities of that scheme. Thereís little room for a rogue attitude.

Now, at this point, it might be a misunderstanding. I donít know. Chud might be speaking in generalities about the gradual incorporation of even front concepts within an odd front. Which, given the homogenization of defense in the NFL, isnít inconceivable. Iíve seen Arizona run some even front. But Hortonís definition of a mixed defense might be a unit that lacks a ďbaseĒ front altogether. The origin of their differences doesnít matter. It just needs to be addressed and corrected as soon as possible. Regardless, this seems to be the first communication barrier that needs to be hurdled.

As far as personnel goes, I think our front seven fits the switch. Weíve got a lot of big bodies and bulk. Once OTAís and mini-camps and training camp start, we can move some pieces around and find their best fit. I think weíve got a flexible line. I could see multiple unit combinations. Our starting trench size is rare for a team transitioning to an odd front.

The biggest need is a rush linebacker. Given the makeup of this class, we need to capitalize and hit on a rusher with the sixth overall pick. Sheard could be a solid part of our edge force as long as he works on hand usage and re-routing techniques. But I donít see high upside there, so adding an explosive pass rusher with potential opposite him makes sense. Horton is a self-described aggressive coordinator. An edge presence would be put to good use.

Past that, I expect the Mallett rumors have serious merit. Lombardi loved the kid coming out of Arkansas and remains close friends with Belichick. Chud professed his desire to run a vertical offense in his initial presser. Mallettís arm talent fits those concepts and meets that vision. New England doesnít have a fourth, fifth, or sixth in the upcoming draft. The links between the Browns and Patriots make sense. New England gets the selections theyíre starving for and Cleveland gets their future quarterback. Iím guessing for a multi-pick package. A framework of something like a fourth- and sixth-rounder in 2013 and a second-rounder in 2014. Perhaps a non-pick piece, too. Or our third instead of the fourth.

That leaves a rough, rough draft along the lines of:

RD 1 (6) Ė Barkevious Mingo | OLB | LSU
I doubt Damontre Moore lasts to the sixth pick. Jarvis Jones has to clear his medical concerns and could be vulnerable to a slight slip. That leaves Mingo or Jordan. From what Iíve seen so far, I like Mingoís projectables more.

RD 3 (68) Ė Larry Warford | RG | Kentucky
Itís hard to get a read on these bigger guards. It wouldnít surprise me if Warford didnít last this long. But weíve seen the guard position get devalued and pushed down, too. I would love to grab a massive mauler like him right here. We need interior push.
RD 5 (132) Ė Michael Williams | TE | Alabama or Brad Wing | P | LSU
Itís important that a tight end gives their guard short corners to get around on wide runs. Williams is a powerful in-line blocker and profiles as a valuable part of the tight end rotation.

I wouldnít mind Wing either. Our punting situation hasnít been the greatest and Wing is a worthwhile prospect. I love a left-footed punter, too.

RD 7 (196) Ė Cornelius Washington | OLB | Georgia
Just a depth pick. He was an underachiever at Georgia, but Iíve heard intriguing things about his athleticism. Stash him and perhaps develop him as part of a pass rusher stable.

I wouldnít mind closing with a class like that. Given the shortage of selections, free agents would need to step into starter or stopgap roles. But we have the cap space to do it. A centerfielder is critical and I still think Phillips is the most realistic option on the market. Sign a man corner as a number two. Perhaps squeeze the Steelers on Keenan Lewis? Perhaps Greg Toler because heís familiar with Horton? Extend Haden and Mack. Re-sign Dawson, Watson, Brown, and perhaps Cribbs. Add a sub-package, coverage specialist at linebacker like Lawson if possible. And then fill out the rest of the roster with flexible, specialized short-term deals.

Looking at the above roster, I think thatís a solid, competitive football team with room to grow. Now, itís as premature as it gets, and the additions are quite fluid, but it shows that potential exists for this team to be aggressive and target and attack its problem areas in an effort to improve.